On becoming expert in the use of problem structuring methods

Keys, Paul

doi:10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602194

Cited by 55 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…For example, structuring decision options could be supported by causal mapping or the techniques of the Strategic Choice Approach. In such cases, the choice of method is typically influenced by the particular set of modelling skills or 'competences' that the OR analyst has and is able to demonstrate to the client (Keys, 2006;Kotiadis & Mingers, 2006;Ormerod, 2008Ormerod, , 2014. In our case, our knowledge of and experience with problem structuring and decision analysis methods (e.g.…”

Section: Intervention Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpacking multimethodology: Impacts of a community development intervention

Henao

Franco

2016

European Journal of Operational Research

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Multimethodology interventions are being increasingly employed by operational researchers to cope with the complexity of real-world problems. In keeping with recent calls for more research into the 'realised' impacts of multimethodology, we present a detailed account of an intervention to support the planning of business ideas by a management team working in a community development context. Drawing on the rich steam of data gathered during the intervention, we identify a range of cognitive, task and relational impacts experienced by the management team during the intervention. These impacts are the basis for developing a process model that accounts for the personal, social and material changes reported by those involved in the intervention. The model explains how the intervention's analytic and relational capabilities incentivise the interplay of participants' decision making efforts and integrative behaviours underpinning reported intervention impacts and change. Our findings add much needed empirical case material to enrich further our understanding of the realised impacts of operational research interventions in general, and of multimethodology interventions in particular.

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Section: Intervention Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpacking multimethodology: Impacts of a community development intervention

Henao

Franco

2016

European Journal of Operational Research

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“…train those with a demonstrated tendency (or preference) towards problem structuring behaviours; although this still begs the question of how to identify them. Keys offers some clarity here; he argues that achieving expertise in PSM use is a learning activity based on a "complex process of knowledge acquisition" in progressing from novice status through many client engagements (Keys, 2006); there is no mention of any shortcut to expertise through possessing innate thinking styles. Ormerod has developed a competency model of PSM use underpinned by the resource based view and consisting of three broad competencies -conducting analysis, designing and managing process, and appreciating context (Ormerod, 2013b (Ormerod, 2006) and Key's observation that adaptation is an essential quality of moving from novice to expert use (Keys, 2006).…”

Section: Expertisementioning

confidence: 99%

The non-codified use of problem structuring methods and the need for a generic constitutive definition

Yearworth

White

2014

European Journal of Operational Research

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Abstract-When we use a PSM what is it we are actually doing? An answer to this question would enable the PSM community to considerably enlarge the available source of case studies by the inclusion of examples of non-codified PSM use. We start from Checkland's own proposal for a "constitutive definition" of SSM, which originated from trying to answer the question of knowing when a claim of SSM use was legitimate. By extending this idea to a generic constitutive definition for all PSMs leads us to propose a selfconsistent labelling schema for observed phenomena arising from PSMs in action. This consists of a set of testable propositions, which, through observation of putative PSM use, can be used to assess validity of claims of PSM use. Such evidential support for the propositions as may be found in putative PSM use can then make it back into a broader axiomatic formulation of PSMs through the use of a set-theoretic approach, which enables our method to scale to large data sets. The theoretical underpinning to our work is in causal realism and middle range theory. We illustrate our approach through the analysis of three case studies drawn from engineering organisations, a rich source of possible non-codified PSM use. The combination of a method for judging cases of non-codified PSM use, sound theoretical underpinning, and scalability to large data sets, we believe leads to a demystification of PSMs and should encourage their wider use.2

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“…Such a resource would also be of great interest to those teaching/learning problem structuring methods. Whilst there are a number of good books and publications, one of the biggest stumbling blocks has been, and probably will continue to be, how to become an expert in the use of problem structuring methods (Keys, 2006). The more the community can provide assistance in this area the more the frontiers are going to be extended.…”

Section: The Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%